Issue 2008-25 -- June 24, 2008
This newsletter is for members of the Canadian Insurance Industry, and those who serve it. The newsletter is published weekly, and notes information mostly about the use of the Internet and related technologies in the industry. Some is international, where we feel it is relevant to Canada.
Distribution
Keal Technology and Canadian Signassure/sigXP User Group Form Education Partnership.
TORONTO, Ontario, Canada - June 17, 2008 - Industry leading, Keal Technology and Canadian Signassure/sigXP User group (CSU) announce they have entered into a partnership to jointly deliver educational offerings to their mutual clients. The partnership will see Keal and CSU come together to offer educational conferences to Keal clients starting September 25 and 26, 2008 in Toronto.
Fredericton Allstate Insurance Agency is open for business.
FREDERICTON, June 18 2008 - Last year, Allstate Insurance Company of Canada announced it was redesigning the look and feel of its existing Neighbourhood Agent Offices and introduced the new Allstate Insurance Agency.
Swiss Re and Guy Carpenter launch joint operations for electronic data exchange in accounting and settlement.
11 Jun 2008 - While electronic business in the reinsurance industry has been developing steadily in recent years, considerable potential remains to be tapped in this area. The two companies' joint initiative aims to transform and improve operational effectiveness through the application of the latest technology while meeting strict security and confidentiality requirements.
Claims
Symbility Solutions Releases Version 3.1 of its Mobile Claims Software Package.
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - June 11, 2008) - Symbility Solutions Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Automated Benefits Corp. (TSX VENTURE:AUT), announces its newest release, version 3.1, of its mobile claims software application.
Aviva Canada Offers Industry First: New End-to-End Money Back Claims Service Guarantee.
Aviva Canada Inc., Canada's second largest home, auto and business insurance group, has become the first and only insurance company in Canada to offer clients an end-to-end money back claims service guarantee. Aviva's new Claims Service Satisfaction Guarantee was launched on a national scale April 7, 2008.
CAFC: Fire Chiefs Press Government to Provide Tax Incentive to Volunteer Firefighters.
OTTAWA, June 17, 2008 - The Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs is urging Parliament to give speedy passage to a bill that would give a tax incentive to volunteer emergency workers, including firefighters.
Marketing and the Market Place
Insurance Bureau of Canada proud to be among the ranks of Ontario's
top road safety advocates.
TORONTO, June 17 2008 - Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) has been formally recognized by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation as one of this year's recipients of its 2007 Road Safety Achievement Awards.
Gas Price Rise Has Many Canadians Changing their Commuting Habits: Ipsos Reid.
June 14, 2008 - Ottawa, ON - As the price of gas continues to rise across the country with seemingly no end in sight, a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Global National and CanWest News Service reveals that Canadians have already started to change their commuting habits as a result. With Canadians who commute averaging about 18 km each way to work, most of them driving (74%), they appear to be feeling the pain at the pumps.
TowerGroup Research Suggests Looking Beyond the Obvious Baby Boomers.
NEEDHAM, MA, June 3, 2008 - As inevitable demographic shifts unfold in the U.S., financial service institutions must become equipped to identify and target their next generation of customers. New research from TowerGroup finds that this ability will become a market mandate for financial services institutions in order to drive growth in the years to come - even as they navigate their way out of today's crisis.
Our People
New LOMA Online Courses Ignite the Potential of Insurance Professionals.
Atlanta, GA, May 13, 2008 -- The first phase of a complete redesign of LOMA's Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI) education program will be introduced this fall, as part of a comprehensive LOMA initiative to help companies develop and retain key talent. The first phase includes two new, online introductory courses that will offer employees a technologically enhanced learning experience and highly relevant industry-focused content.
Reference and Statistics
New Edition of the I.I.I.'s International Fact Book Now Available.
NEW YORK, June 10, 2008 - The Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) has just revised and updated its authoritative and comprehensive Web resource, the 2008-2009 International Insurance Fact Book.
Average USA Auto Insurance Rates on the Rise for the First Time in a Year.
CLEVELAND, OH - May 1, 2008 - For the first time in a year, car insurance rates are on the rise, according to a study by Insurance.com, the largest online auto insurance agency in the United States. The company expects auto insurance rates to continue to move up at least through 2008, which means consumers will need to be even more savvy shoppers as they try to keep their car insurance rate low.
USA: Only Universal Life Sales Show Growth in the First Quarter in 2008, LIMRA Reports.
WINDSOR, Conn., June 2, 2008 - Universal life (UL) was the only individual life insurance product able to produce more new premium in the first quarter of 2008, according to LIMRA's life insurance sales survey.
MIB Life Index Reports North American Life Insurance Activity Down 2.4% in May.
Braintree, MA. - (June 13, 2008) North American application activity for individually underwritten life insurance was off -2.4% in May, year-over-year, according to the MIB Life Indexsm. Year-to-date (YTD) U.S. and Canadian application activity was off -2.1% compared to the same period last year. May's activity was off -2.8% when compared to April 2008.
eBusiness and Technology
Gartner Says Few E-Commerce Sites Have Taken Advantage of Web 2.0 Technologies to Make the Shopping Experience More Attractive to Buyers.
STAMFORD, Conn., May 29, 2008 - Online sales are slowing for some organizations as buyers grow increasingly frustrated and dissatisfied with the Web shopping experience, according to Gartner, Inc. Gartner's research has found that few sites have taken advantage of new technologies to improve usability, interactivity and navigation. However, successful e-commerce operations have invested continually in upgrades to their sites, with many of these improvements running off the Ajax platform.
from Doug:
Two weeks now with rain seemingly every day, everything green and growing rapidly, cygnets and goslings on the water as I ride my bike in the early morining and unseen young everywhere, it is certainly a time of renewal. Life is all cycles however - the wife, 69, of a very good friend died Friday of lung cancer eight months after diagnosis. We will celebrate her life with good memories Tuesday morning. Full circle.